Hotline After Dark -- North Korea By Northwest

"Nightly News," "World News" and "Evening News" all led with the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee from North Korea.

Bill Clinton's trip to North Korea and the pardon of Ling and Lee were all over the airwaves last p.m.

NM Gov. Bill Richardson (D) made the rounds to discuss Clinton and North Korea.

Richardson, on Clinton: "The fact that he saw Kim Jong-Il is huge. I never saw him. He only sees big shots, heads of state. And those were the signals. ... But what the president's trip does, it improves the atmospherics between the two countries. The relationship is really in bad shape right now. There's enormous tension. There's literally no dialogue. So, maybe what the bonus would be is President Clinton's visit could get both sides just to start talking. But I bet you there are no negotiations on nuclear issues going on" ("Situation Room," CNN, 8/4).

More Richardson: "Maybe this visit will lead to ... some kind of dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea, or maybe North Korea decides to resume participating in what is called a six-party talks with South Korea, Japan, Russia, China, to reduce their nuclear arsenal. So ... this is a good news trip, good news for both sides" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

Richardson: "I knew, more or less, that it would be good news, that we'd get the release of the two American journalists."

On whether the Obama admin. had been keeping him informed of the situation: "Yes. Yes, I'd been working with them. They consulted me. I've been working with the North Koreans, with the families. But I wasn't involved in the last intricate negotiations that sent President Clinton. But I was very pleased when I learned that, number one, the word amnesty was being used by both sides. That means that the girls ... would be pardoned and that they wouldn't serve the hard labor and that they would be released by a presidential pardon by Kim Jong Il" ("LKL," CNN, 8/4).

After the jump, see more on North Korea, the protestors disrupting health care town halls and Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) and ex-Rep. Pat Toomey (R-PA) hashing out the PA SEN race.

(MAURA O'BRIEN)

Ex-Sec/State Lawrence Eagleburger, on Clinton's visit: "I think it's a good gesture on the part of the United States. I don't think anything is wrong with it. I think his punk that runs North Korea is no better off now than before Clinton went there." More, on Pres. Obama: "I think probably upstages the president a little bit. It puts President Clinton back in the headlines having accomplished something, and he has done it with some panache, as you can see now on the television" ("On the Record," FNC, 8/4).

Ex-UN Amb. John Bolton: "The struggle obviously of bringing a former president to North Korea is a lifeline of legitimacy for Kim Jong-il's regime and other rogue states are watching this very carefully I think to our detriment" ("Special Report," FNC, 8/4).

Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon, on whether Clinton will be used for future discussions with North Korea: "I think you have to be careful in trotting out the prestige of the American president or former president when you're dealing with a country that still has a couple hundred thousand of its own citizens in a gulag, forced labor camps, among other transgressions. This is probably the worst government on Earth. ... This one time, OK, and obviously we're all relieved by what happened today" ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

CNN's Lothian, on Clinton: "There was some speculation that perhaps President Obama did give him a letter to hand deliver. Robert Gibbs was asked again at the briefing if that took place. Twice today he has said that that simply is just not true -- that he was not given any message, either in writing or in the language. He was not given any message at all to hand deliver or to send to North Korea" ("Situation Room," CNN, 8/4).

Politico's Allen: "I think this is showing how quickly the campaign is fading. This is a great new chapter for President Clinton. ... Now he has new mojo. This is a reminder that he's very well known around the world" ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

Ex-WH press sec. Dana Perino, on Ling and Lee: "I think it's good that they're back. I think it bothers me, though, that Kim Jong-Il gets to have a chance for all the world to see that he is ... like a good guy and released these ladies, and ... then he got to have this picture with President Clinton" ("Hannity," FNC, 8/4).

Dem strategist Donna Brazile: "This is a win-win for the country, for the young women. But more important, this is important for President Obama, who I think is really pushing, you know, this whole effort to ensure the safety of Americans by using a range of options, using former presidents, and who knows what else" ("Situation Room," CNN, 8/4).

GOP strategist Kevin Madden: "I do think that what's troubling about this in one regard is that it is a continuation of what many Republicans have referred to as the basketball diplomacy, that we continue to go over to North Korea, we make a deal with them, they get something, but we don't get anything in return. ... But I do think this has to be, for the Obama administration in the present, a sign that they can continue to more towards bilateral agreements, bilateral talks" ("Situation Room," CNN, 8/4).

YOU KNOW YOU MAKE ME WANT TO SHOUT

Recent disruptions at health care town hall meetings continued to be the talk of the town, as both Dems and GOPers weighed in.

HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius, on her recent experience with town hall protestors: "It was clear that this is kind of a nationally driven campaign. We knew that something was different in Philadelphia when the woman who is the director of the Constitution Hall welcomed people and she was booed. So, clearly, there were folks who were interested in disrupting a very serious conversation about health reform, and that really was their mission of the day."

Sebelius, on the WH strategy for dealing with the protestors: "I think what we're seeing is that people were very frustrated at their neighbors and folks who got busted to try and disrupt this conversation. ... And hopefully that will be a continuation that members of Congress see as they come home over recess."

More: "As I said, there is no more important conversation. And frankly, the notion that somehow the status quo is OK so we can yell and scream and drive out the real important facts of what reform looks like, how it will impact people who currently have coverage, who now are terrified that they're going to be dropped next week or next month -- I can't tell you the number of people who talk to me and say, you know, 'I had coverage, but when I got sick, the company told me that I would no longer be covered.' ... And it just shouldn't happen anymore" ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX): "We cannot turn over the agenda to folks that really remind me ... like that crowd of Republican staffers that showed up for Bush against Gore down in Florida. It's the same kind of approach" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen: "What's really sad about this ... is that members of Congress, Democratic members of Congress, are going home to talk to their constituents about the health care reform, holding the insurance companies accountable. They want to have a conversation. And the Republicans said, 'We really want the American people to hear what's in this plan because when they hear about it, they won't like it.' Well, the fact is, they're scared to death about the American people finding out about this plan and they're not letting these conversations take place. They're disrupting meetings. They're shouting people down. They're hanging people in effigy."

More Van Hollen: "When the American people see what's going on, it is going to totally backfire on those who are opposing the effort to reform the health insurance industry and to try and change the system" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 8/4).

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA): "People are trying to divert us off. I think a lot of insurance companies are behind this. You know, they've made a 400 percent increase in profits in the last few years. ... So they're taking us off in this culture war direction that has nothing to do with anything, really."

More Boxer: "All this fuss about elderly people being forced to do anything is totally wrong. ... All that was put in one of the bills is that if a senior citizen would like some help discussing end-of-life issues, they can avail themselves of it. So that's just a distraction, as is the whole abortion matter because we don't change law there, either. All these laws will apply" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 8/4).

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC): "I'm sorry to hear the president be so critical of these people who are coming out to these town hall meetings and expressing their concern because they're not right wingers. I've seen them and they're Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and people who never have been political before. But I'm serious, I think we've got to stop this health care bill, this takeover of health care by our government so that we can sit down and work on some real reforms that make insurance more available to people" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 8/4).

Ex-Rep. Susan Molinari (R-NY), on whether GOPers should be worried by the protestors: "I think the National Republican Party is hopeful that people understand -- and I've talked to elected officials -- that the people who work ... in the United States Senate don't want this, just like the Democrats didn't want it when MoveOn and Code Pink would do it to the Republicans when George Bush was president. Look, it's the Republicans and people like me who said from the start, slow down a little bit. We don't have to have this August 7th deadline. This has to be a real conversation" ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer: "There is a certain irony in an administration denouncing ordinary Americans who get together to express what they believe and to confront authority when that administration is led by a man who began his career as a community organizer, whose job, as I understand it, is to take ordinary Americans, get them together to express what they believe, and express demands against the authorities" ("Special Report," FNC, 8/4).

NPR's Liasson, on the WH strategy for dealing with the protestors: "I think they should let these guys fall of their own weight. If these groups are going to be out of line and screaming and yelling and not letting other people get their questions asked at a town hall meeting, that is the best outcome for the White House, not to try to say that people who come to a town meeting and express opposition to something are somehow doing something wrong" ("Special Report," FNC, 8/4).

The Nation's Hayes, on Dems: "I think there's a really crucial lesson from Florida, which is that you can't get out-hustled. You need to organize. ... Look, democracy is about the nonviolent resolution of political conflict. And there is political conflict here, and Democrats have to organize their own forces" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

Politico's Vogel, on Dems' strategy to deal with the protestors: "I think that by highlighting them, they kind of marginalize some of the voices who have valid criticisms of the plan, and that's one way to kind of distract from those valid criticisms. And I don't see anything wrong with Democrats highlighting it as we go into summer recess" ("Ed Show," MSNBC, 8/4).

THE TEMPLE OF TOOMEY

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) and ex-Rep. Pat Toomey (R-PA) all appeared on "Hardball" 8/4 p.m. to discuss the PA SEN race.

Toomey, on whether Specter is a "liberal" Dem: "Arlen Specter is whatever he thinks the political calculus suggests he should be at any moment in time. Right now, that means liberal Democrat, because he's got a primary challenge from the left."

Toomey, on whether Sestak or Specter is harder to beat: "Honestly, I don't know. They both have strengths. They both have weaknesses. I really don't know which one is easier to beat in the general election. But I can tell you that either one of them presents a stark contrast. You know, they both supported all the bailouts. They have both supported massive unprecedented spending, huge government intrusion in health care, big tax increases. So, there will be a stark contrast between either one of those guys and myself, a supporter of limited government and less government spending, ending the bailouts, lower taxes, free enterprise."

MSNBC's Matthews: "Let me ask you about this birthers movement out there on the far right. Are you that far out?"

Toomey: "Well, what is it? What is it?"

Matthews: "Do you question or do you have any doubts about this president, Barack Obama, being a native-born American, and therefore quite eligible to be serving as our president? Do you have any doubts on that subject?"

Toomey: "My -- I -- I don't have any doubts. I think he made it very clear a long time ago that he was born in Hawaii."

Toomey, on Specter again: "I don't know that he has a real core. I think he is whatever he needs to be at any given moment, based on his calculation. I mean, look at the card check bill. He's a co-sponsor of the bill. He goes to a press conference endorsing the bill. He's all for it. Then he sees that he might have a primary against me. He decides he's against it. Then he decides he can't win the primary against me, joins the Democratic Party, and now he's looking for a way to be for it again. So, I couldn't begin to predict how he votes in the privacy of a voting booth."

Toomey, asked if he voted for ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) in '08: "She was on the ticket. I voted for both of them. That's right."

Matthews: "Wait a minute. Do you have to hesitation there? Do you think she would have been a better vice president than Joe Biden?"

Toomey: "Yes. Probably yes."

Matthews: "Probably yes? ... You sound a little unsure of your party loyalty. Do you think Sarah Palin was a good candidate for V.P. or not?"

Toomey: "You throw them at me quickly here, Chris. I want to -- I want to make sure I tell you what I really think. And what I really think is that Sarah Palin ... would be a better vice president."

Specter was the next to appear on the show.

Specter, on Sestak: "He's missed 105 votes; worst record of any Pennsylvania member of the House of Representatives. He's AWOL, been absent without leave. If he were still in the Navy, he would be court martialed. Now he wants to be promoted. How can you be promoted with a voting record like that?

More, on Sestak: "I think he's a fine Congressman, and ought to stay in the House of Representatives. Look, I want to talk about myself in this campaign. I want to talk about what I've done for jobs in Pennsylvania."

Specter, on whether he's comfortable with the fact that he voted for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Palin in '08: "I thought that they were the better choice. And I was trying to work within the Republican party, and trying to bring moderation to the Republican party. The decisive step I took was when I heard President Obama early this year say we were on the verge of sliding into a 1929 Depression, and a new president with a new mandate. And I voted for the stimulus package. Now, up until then, Biden and Rendell and a lot of people had been trying to get me to become a Democrat. When I voted for the stimulus package, I had more Republicans urging me to become a Democrat than the Democrats. And the effort to bring moderation to the Republican party was not successful. And I feel very comfortable as a Democrat."

Specter, on Palin: "I know her. I met her. And as a matter of party, I supported McCain and Palin. ... I didn't exactly think my vote would be decisive. But when you're in a party and you work for a party and you're trying to work within the structure to moderate the party, I think that's the correct thing to do. But parties change."

Sestak was the last to be interviewed.

Sestak, on complaints that he's missed votes: "We keep our office open seven days a week. In our district, we've handled just under 10,000 constituency cases in the first two years, three times the normal Congressional office. In Washington, D.C., we've actually passed more bills this year than either senator of Pennsylvania, co-sponsored more bills than any other representative except four. ... We work hard every day."

Sestak, on whether he'd ask Clinton to campaign for him, since Obama is supporting Specter: "I would never ask President Clinton to come in for me at all. ... When I worked for president Clinton, I recognized that there's the president and then there's the office of the presidency. And although he is a former president, he's still attached to the office of the presidency. Even to begin to think that I would ever place someone I work for into a place of potential embarrassment with the present president, I would never do that."

More Sestak, on the upcoming race: "I'll have more than sufficient money in order to get my message out. ... This is where the Whiskey Rebellion began. We're pretty independent-minded. Nobody is asking us who endorsed you, who do you know. They want to know, are you going to work for us. And I'm going to work for them" (MSNBC, 8/4).